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Clarke County, Alabama
Clarke County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General John Clarke of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 27,867. Its county seat is Grove Hill. With the exception of the cities of Jackson and Thomasville, Clarke County is a prohibition, or dry county. History Clarke County was established on December 10, 1812. The county was declared a disaster area in September 1979 due to damage from Hurricane Frederic. Clarke County had been a prohibition county, or entirely dry county, since 1937; that is, until the people of Jackson voted on a legalized alcohol sales referendum on May 10, 2005, and Thomasville followed suit on August 14, 2007. Clarke County remains a dry county, although its two largest cities, Jackson and Thomasville, are now wet. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,244 km² (1,253 square miles). Nearly 3,207 km² (1,238 sq mi) of it is land, and 37 km² (14 sq mi) of it (1.13%) is water. Major Highways * U.S. Highway 43 * U.S. Highway 84 * State Route 5 * State Route 69 Adjacent Counties *Marengo County (north) *Wilcox County (northeast) *Monroe County (east) *Baldwin County (south) *Washington County (southwest) *Choctaw County (northwest) Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 27,867 people, 10,578 households, and 7,700 families residing in the county. The population density was 9/km² (22/sq mi). There were 12,631 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (10/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 55.94% White, 43.02% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Nearly 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 10,578 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 53.90% were married couples living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. Nearly 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60, and the average family size was 3.13. In Clarke County, the population was spread out, with 28.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,388, and the median income for a family was $34,546. Males had a median income of $34,111 versus $19,075 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,581. About 18.10% of families and 22.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.60% of those under age 18 and 23.80% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns *Campbell *Coffeeville *Failetown *Fulton *Grove Hill *Jackson *Thomasville *Gosport *Whately See also *Dry counties External Links *Official Site *Clarke County map of roads/towns (map © 2007 Univ. of Alabama). Category:Counties of Alabama Category:Clarke County, Alabama